Byzantine, Texas

I've been told I use too many acronyms. So, to make the blog a bit easier to read, I'll follow that grade school rule of using no acronyms unless I first de-abbreviate them. Apologies.

Pictoral H/T: The New Liturgical Movement ROME ( ANA-MPA ) Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I on Sunday joined Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican basilica, where he delivered the homily at a Mass for the feasts of Saints Peter and Paul, the patronal feast of the Rome diocese. The service, which also marks the start of the Catholic Church's Pauline Jubilee Year, culminated with a joint appeal by Pope and Patriarch to strive for the unity of their two Churches. The Mass also included other gestures of great symbolic significance, such as when Bartholomew joined Pope Benedict in reciting the Nicene Creed and when they delivered the final blessing together. Bartholomew had earlier attended the Vespers service in Rome's St. Paul's Basilica Outside the Walls on Saturday evening, where the Pope proclaimed the start of the Pauline Year and hoped that the celebration of the 2000th birth anniversary of St. Paul the Apostle will help all Christians to renew their ecumenical duty and int...

It looks as if this saga has come to a close of sorts (see past posts on this drama). It is of course quite possible that he will do something else and draw media attention, but we can only wait and see. Moscow, June 27, ( Interfax ) - At its final Friday session, the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church ruled that the Bishop of Anadyr and Chukotka Diomid should be defrocked. An absolute majority of the Bishops' Council (with three abstainers) voted for "stripping Diomid of priestly privileges" due to his disobedience to hierarchy, Interfax-Religion reports. "The Council calls Diomid to immediately repent and stop his activity. If he refuses, the Council's ruling shall be enforced," one of the Council's participants told to the agency. The Council also fixed the deadline for such repentance - before the next session of the Holy Synod. According to the Council's report, the participants have definitely denounced Diomid's activity wh...

Bl. Mykola Charnetsky 1884-1959 "Blessed Mykola (Nicholas) Charnetsky, of Semakivtsi, Ukraine, was ordained a Byzantine Rite Catholic priest at the age of twenty-four. Over the years that followed, he served as a seminary professor and spiritual director. Five years after his appointment as apostolic visitor for the Byzantine Rite Catholics of Volyn and Polissia, Father Charnetsky was consecrated a bishop in 1931 at the age of forty-six. In 1945, the Russian Communists’ secret police (the KGB) arrested Bishop Charnetsky and sentenced him to a six-year term of hard labor in Siberia. Transferred numerous times, he served his sentence in thirty different prisons and labor camps, and was subjected to six hundred hours of interrogations and torture. Upon being diagnosed with a terminal illness, he was released in 1956. Nearly three hundred priests who had previously yielded to the Soviet government’s demand that they defect to the state-controlled Russian Orthodox Church came to Bishop...

You remember Bishop Diomid. He was soundly criticized by Bishop Hilarion, several officials from the Moscow Patriarchate, and his people were involved in an altercation with supporters of the Patriarch that ended in icon wielding, head smashing fisticuffs outside a church. Put on your surprise faces before reading that the bishops' council might have something to say to him about calling out the patriarchate for "an attempt to unite all faiths in one syncretistic religion." among other volatile statements. Moscow, June 26, ( Interfax ) - The working group of the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church criticized the policy of Chukotka Bishop Diomid, and the Council will make a decision on his future on Friday, Bishop Mark of Yegoryevsk, the secretary of the working group of the Council, told Interfax-Religion. The working group "unanimously criticized the actions of Bishop Diomid," he said. "It is necessary to wait until Friday when the Council...

Moscow, June 26 ( Interfax ) - Participants of the Moscow Patriarchate Bishops' Council, which is being held in Moscow these days, are concerned that some clergymen often discuss inner church problems in Internet including the Live Journal. "Such practice not only contradicts moral setup and Church canons but should be considered unacceptable and subjected to condemnation," the Council's official website has reported on the results of its working group session. As an alternative to this tendency that witnesses to "the lack of lively communication in the Church," the working group suggested conducting more seminars and meetings of clerics on diocesan level to discuss most acute questions of church life and to work out joint position on them.

Fr. Whiteford from St. Jonah Orthodox Church in Spring, TX wrote the first in what looks to be a string of posts on the 2008 Orthodox Conference held in Pennsylvania earlier this month. You may remember my linking to his earlier string of posts on his visit to Moscow during the historic ROCOR / ROC settlement. Here is the link to his post and below is a snipped I found to be the most intriguing. ... As I said, I had never seen the Old Rite in actual practice, and was struck by the way the people were censed. When the deacon would cense them, they would face the deacon with both arms raised in an orans, and then would bow towards the deacon, and then turn, and make the sign of the Cross towards the altar. The scriptural basis for this practice is "Let my prayer be set forth as incense before Thee, the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice" (Psalm 141:2, in the KJV). This is in fact my favorite Lenten song by far. Below is a clip that the people from Ancient Faith ...

From their historic 2006 visit. VATICAN CITY, JUNE 24, 2008 ( Zenit.org ) - The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, will attend the inauguration of the Pauline Jubilee Year and Mass celebrated by Benedict XVI the next day. According to reports Monday and today from the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, Bartholomew I will participate in Saturday's celebration of vespers at the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside the Walls. With this event, Benedict XVI will officially inaugurate the Pauline year. Representatives of other Christian communities are also scheduled to attend. On Sunday, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Bartholomew I will participate in the Mass celebrated by the Pope in St. Peter's. The patriarch and the Holy Father will pronounce the homily; together they will recite the profession of faith and impart the blessing. The Pope will concelebrate Mass with the new metropolitan archbishops, upon whom he will impose the pallium d...

H/T: Koinonia My wife and I occasionally get into a discussion where I sidestep the issue and declare that this would all be so much simpler if I could have my smoking jacket and slippers, read my paper, and exist in an idyllic 1920s-1940s lifestyle. I am then presented with "the look" followed by none of the expected dinner. Finally I have proof (good or ill) of my fitness for that halcyon age! 94 As a 1930s husband, I am Very Superior Take the test!

Moscow, June 24, ( Interfax ) - Supporters of Diomid, the Bishop of Anadyr and Chukotka, put up a fight with Nashi youth movement who came to the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour to show their support of Patriarch Alexy II. The Union of Orthodox Citizens told the Interfax-Religion correspondent that Nashi carried slogans which read "Hand off His Holiness!", "We are not Scared of Numbers", "Together with Council", etc. The slogans scandalized supporters of Bishop Diomid known for his controversial calls to isolate the Russian Orthodox Church. You will remember Bishop Hilarion , Metropolitan Kliment , and DECR Deputy Chairman Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin dressing down said bishop and people of his mentality in days past. "About 20 supporters of Diomid attacked members of Nashi and tore about 10 posters to pieces. A young girl who came to support Patriarch Alexy II had light bodily injuries," a member of the Union of Orthodox Citizens told the agenc...

Istanbul ( AsiaNews via Directions to Orthodoxy ) - The Orthodox patriarchate of Moscow has announced its withdrawal from the pan-Orthodox conference being held on the island of Rhodes, aimed at preparing for the synod that will take place in October in Constantinople. As has happened before on the occasion of the meeting with Catholics in Ravenna, the Church of Moscow explained its decision in relation to the presence of the Apostolic Estonian Church, which it does not recognise. In a statement, the representatives of the other Orthodox Churches expressed their disappointment over this decision of the patriarchate of Moscow, calling upon it to reverse it. They are also asking Moscow representatives to explain whether this means that they have changed their minds about participating in the synod in October, or whether they will go as observers. If they act as they have in past instances of this sort. Expect no one to be there even as a mute witness. Many of the Orthodox at the meetin...

BRIGHTON ( The Pilot ) -- On June 29 Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley and the Catholics of the Archdiocese of Boston will share the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul with a delegation from the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Boston and all New England. The local celebration in Boston is an important way to bring to life the examples of the hierarchs and to begin to realize the hope for Christian unity. In Rome on June 29 Pope Benedict XVI will preside at the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, the patron saints of Rome. Since the improvement of relations between Orthodox and Catholics starting at the Second Vatican Council, it has become a tradition for the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople to send a delegation to Rome to share the feast of Rome’s patron saints. St. Andrew is the Patron for the Greek Orthodox Mother Church of Constantinople; therefore on Nov. 29, at the Feast of St. Andrew, Pope Benedict XVI will send a delegation to the Greek Orthodox in Constantinople. Since the joint pilgrimage of Bos...

From the always funny Onion Dome : Once again we are fortunate to have Father Vasiliy Vasileivich, spokesman for the Church Abroad arm/bit/part/whatever of the Russian Orthodox Church Wherever It Wants to Be (ROCWIWTB) and parish priest of Sts. Boris and Gleb and Vladimir and Olga Russian Orthodox Church in Sydney, Australia, answer our readers’ many questions about orthodoxis and orthopraxis. Thank you, Father Vasiliy! Dear Father Vasiliy, Now that Lent is over, we have a huge supply of lenten foods, such that we could never actually get through them all on the Wednesdays and Fridays between Pascha and the Apostles’ Fast. We’re afraid they’ll go bad. What should we do? Signed, Leftovers in Lesotho ------------------------------- Dear Lesotho, This is problem faced by Orthodox in every Century (except VIII). What to do with leftover lenten foods after fast is over? St. Fretsalotades, although he is post-Vladimir Greek, is worth to consider. He also poses this q...

June 23 ( Interfax article translated by Voices from Russia ) - Metropolitan Kliment Kapalin of Kaluga and Borovsk, the Chancellor of the MP, said that no group within the MP opposes interreligious dialogue. “I have never encountered any “group” in the Church who made such sharp attacks [on interreligious dialogue]”, Metropolitan Kliment said in answer to a question in an interview with the newspaper Izvestiya published on Monday. “You should ask these people, I do not mean certain clergymen, but, those laymen who support them [the following questions]. ‘How frequently do you receive Holy Communion? How frequently do attend church services?’ Then, you shall understand if these are churchmen or not”, he added. Metropolitan Kliment noted that in the 1990s many people started to call themselves believers. He said, “in order to become a believer, it is necessary to undergo conversion… to acquire a love of neighbour. You see, there is nothing good in their publications. There is no love i...

June 23 ( Interfax Article with translation by Voices from Russia ) Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, the Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations believes that Uniate proselytism in the Ukraine and the missionary activity of certain Catholics amongst Orthodox in Russia and the CIS remains as a barrier to the dialogue between the MP and the Vatican, Interfax-Religion reported. “For some time, there have been a number of unresolved problems in our relations [with the Vatican]. The problems include, first of all, the unresolved conflict between Orthodox and Uniates in the Western Ukraine, and the unjustified expansion of Uniate proselytism into traditionally-Orthodox regions”, Vladyki Kirill said in an interview on the official website of the Archpastoral Council. If I may say (with some partiality here I admit) that this argument seems to swing both ways. Orthodox expansion is said to be reasonable and duty of the Orthodox Church to i...

I was directed by a reader to a site called Aavakum Art by Felix G. Kuehn that holds some quite amazing drawings. The work is quite remarkable in both its intricacy and scope, and I hope you take a few minutes to browse the gallery. Here is a short explanation of the gallery's name and a link to Archpriest Avvakum Petrovich Kondrat’ev's original text. Why the name Avvakum art? The autobiography of the seventeenth-century Russian Orthodox Archpriest Avvakum Petrovich Kondrat’ev is one of the most remarkable documents I have ever read. This website is named in his honour because I believe his life deserves to be much more widely known – not only among Eastern Christians – but among everyone fascinated by such virtues as moral courage, loyalty and perseverance. These were three of the many extraordinary qualities of his complex personality. Although the following synopsis will be of interest, I warmly encourage you to read his autobiography, The Life of the Archpriest Avvakum W...

I was asked to up the font on the quoted news text as it is a little small for some of the readers. I will make this change now (and to keep the overall flow consistent I am enlarging the "normal" text as well). Please do provide feedback on any font/textual changes you'd like to see made.

Rhodes, Jun. 20, 2008 ( CWNews.com ) - The Russian Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow has escalated a dispute with the Patriarchate of Constantinople over the recognition of an independent Estonian Orthodox Church. A Russian delegation has walked out of a meeting of Orthodox prelates, convened by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. The top Russian delegate, Archbishop Nikolai Balashov, said that the Moscow patriarchate could not accept the seating of a delegation from the Estonian Orthodox Church. The meeting of Orthodox prelates, taking place at Rhodes, had been called by the Ecumenical Patriarch as a forum for mutual discussions and prayer. All of the world's autonomous Orthodox churches had been asked to send representatives. Last year the Russian Orthodox Church walked out of a meeting of a joint Catholic-Orthodox theological committee in Ravenna, Italy, for the same reason: the seating of an Estonian delegation. The Moscow patriarchate does not accept the independent Estonia...

June 20 ( zenit.org ) - An informal consultation between representatives of the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East took place near Chicago, Illinois, USA, on June 13 and 14, 2008. This was a follow-up meeting one year after the visit of His Holiness Patriarch Mar Dinkha IV to Pope Benedict XVI in Rome. The meeting was hosted by the Assyrian Church of the East at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois (pictured right). The representatives of the Assyrian Church of the East were Reverend Cor-bishop George Toma, of St Andrew parish in Des Plaines, Illinois, Reverend Cor-bishop David Royel of Mar Yosip parish in San Jose, California, and Reverend Father William Toma of St. Mary's parish in Roselle, Illinois. The Catholic representatives were Monsignor Johan Bonny from the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Reverend Father Ronald G. Roberson, CSP, from the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interrelig...

I'd like to call your attention to the blog Voices from Russia . The translation work she does far surpasses the normal Russian to English translations found on many religious news websites. You won't see a mass called a mess , France called Gaul , or any such amusing mistranslations. Also, if you like Russian art or images of religious locales in Russia, I recommend her Art and Faith .

His Eminence Archbishop Avak Assadourian, Primate of the Diocese of Iraq, visits the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America. His Eminence was one of the high-ranking clergymen accompanying His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, during the Pontiff’s May 2008 visit to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. The Primate of Iraq has previously visited the Western Diocese and on several occasions celebrated the Divine Liturgy and delivered the sermon to the faithful in a number of parishes. The high ranking guest clergy will celebrate the Divine Liturgy and deliver the sermon at the Western Diocese according to the following schedule: St. Andrews Armenian Church, Santa Clara Valley, Sunday, June 22, 2008. St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church, Pasadena, Sunday, June 29, 2008. St. James Armenian Church, Los Angeles, Sunday, July 6, 2008.

H/T: Voices from Russia This is long long long, but explosive and thought provoking. The forthcoming Archpastoral Council of the MP can become a watershed in its recent history. The theme of the Council is the unity of the Church. First of all, the discussion shall deal with the main event that occurred since the last session in 2004, the reunification of the MP and the ROCOR. However, there is also an imperative need to discuss the present threats to church unity, which are proceeding from different quarters. One of the most basic threats to church unity is the aggressive policy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, a policy that could end in a schism within the Orthodox world. Recently, the EP has intensified its activity after its present primate arrogated to himself the role of the “Eastern Pope”, claiming that he was the head and supreme arbiter of the entire Orthodox diaspora. Today, the main opponent to this notion, and, by the way, the only Local Church that is capable of disputing ...

Some have called His Holiness, Patriarch Alexius II a bit of an isolationist (put that mirror away). He has nothing on His Excelleny, Bishop Diomid of Chutotka. I suggest reading Voices from Russia repost of Bishop Hilarion's (of Vienna and Austria) opinion of Bishop Dimoid's statements. Moscow, June 19 ( Interfax ) - The Chukotka diocesan council headed by Bishop Diomid has urged to give up the dialogue with authorities and adherents of other teachings, but the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations believes it harmful. Chukotka clerics have recently come up with this initiative as they protest against the DECR's dialogue with authorities and other confessions and religions. According to Chukotka priests, it negatively influences the purity of Orthodox faith. DECR Deputy Chairman Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin believes such views are deeply ignorant, Interfax-Religion has reported. "Isolation is always a sign of weakness while rejection of professi...

I'm sure Moscow loves this. Considering that the government's foreign minister, the Patriarch himself, and clergy who have published on the patriarchate's website have all denounced the very idea of a unified Ukrainian Church I can only expect more of the same. Kyiv ( RISU ) — On 18 June, 2008, Patriarch Filaret received a delegation of the Romanian Orthodox Church headed by Archimandrite Modest, the Coadjutor Bishop of Ardzhysh Eparchy, at the Kyivan Patriarchate. He assured Patriarch Filaret that the Romanian Orthodox Church supports the efforts of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate to establish the local Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The delegation visited the city to venerate the Ukrainian shrines. This story was reported by the press center of the Kyivan Patriarchate.

I'm rather at a loss for what to say. The Orthodox response to this should be critical and swift. The "points of communion" idea has been mentioned as the article states by the UGCC, but also by the Melkites and Antiochian Orthodox. It was rejected on the ground that all or nothing is a less complicated and more theologically reasoned approach. Understanding that the Orthodox Church does not often speak una voce on the matter of ecumenical efforts could this in fact be the step-by-step methodology that will lead to reunion? I am in favor, but I am sure many are not (some vociferously so). 06/19/2008 Munich ( RISU ) — In a recent interview with the German ecumenical journal Cyril and Methodius, the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church in Constantinople Bartholomew I invited Eastern Catholic Churches to return to Orthodoxy without breaking unity with Rome. He noted that “the Constantinople Mother-Church keeps the door open for all its sons and daughters.” According to the Orth...

H/T: Koinonia Noticed this nifty bit of web gadgetry on Koinonia. I can assume that readability of the blog does not have a direct correlation to the mental faculties of its owner.

Go take a gander at Khanya on his paper entitled "Marriage: an Orthodox view." It begins ... A couple of years ago, when our Constitutional Court was considering the question of homosexual marriage, I was asked by my bishop, His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim, Archbishop of Johannesburg and Pretoria, to prepare a short paper on Christian marriage. In view of the confusion and conflicting opinions and controversies among other Christian groups on the topic, I thought it might be useful to post something on the Orthodox understanding of marriage. This doesn’t deal directly with the question considered by the Constitutional Court, but rather focuses on the theology of Christian mariage from an Orthodox point of view. I did blog about the Constitutional Court question and homosexual marriage here: Notes from underground: The State should get out of the marriage business . ... The Christian understanding of marriage, therefore, is primarily in relation to the Eucharist, which is ...

Moscow, June 18, 2008 ( Interfax ) - Election of new bishops for Constantinople Patriarchate's jurisdiction in Estonia unrecognized in Orthodox world is not wanted by believers and will complicate the situation with Orthodoxy in this country, the Moscow Patriarchate has stated. I wonder what the real "thought on the ground" is of the Estonian faithful. Unless my memory fails me the Estonian Church was autonomous until the Soviet reorder of things. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. "The decision to consecrate new bishops is not conditioned by real needs of a small flock of the Constantinople church organization. Official information of the Ministry of Interior says their number equals to 25, 000 believers," the statement of the press-service of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations reads as issued in the official web site of the Russian Church on Wednesday. Thus, the DECR commented on the results of the meeting held amo...

18 June 2008, ( Interfax ) - The Constantinople Church's actions in church politics is one of the main challenges to Orthodox unity, the Moscow Patriarchate believes. "One of the main threats is Constantinople's aggressive policy as it may lead to the schism of Orthodox world," Russian Orthodox Church Representative to European International Organizations Bishop Hilarion of Vienna and Austria said in an interview published on Wednesday by the NG-Religion paper. He points out that the Constantinople Patriarchate has recently "intensified its efforts to secure their primate's role as "the Eastern Pope," the supreme arbiter and head of the entire Orthodox diaspora." "Main opponent of Constantinople and the only Church capable to contest its claims for hegemony in Orthodox world is the Russian Church. For this reason, Constantinople seeks to weaken, divide and deplete it in all fields," the bishop said.

Showdown at the Lambeth Corral. Queue spaghetti Western music...fan tumbleweed across screen... dial up boom on boot spurs... camera close-up on protagonist... aaaand action! London, Jun 17, 2008 / 02:16 pm ( CNA ) - The Times of London reported this week that the Anglican Church is facing a new crisis with 500 priests threatening to leave if women are ordained bishops. The newspaper reported that the priests have said they would leave the Church if the proposal is approved at the next general synod scheduled for July of this year. Many priests said they feel betrayed by the proposal, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams and Archbishop John Sentamu of York have responded by saying they would work for a compromise rather than allow female bishops, even though both are in favor of female clergy. Compromise? What sort of compromise comes to mind? Import the title chorbishop? Fifteen provinces of the Anglican Communion have voted in favor of female bishops, including Australia,...

H/T: Adventures of an Orthodox Mom I am sometimes at a loss as to how one should respond to those people who look back at parents or children every time a small child makes a noise. This is not to say that when a child has lost control of himself that he shouldn't be removed for a time, he most certainly should, but of those infrequent sounds that should be expected in the very young it should be an seen as an obvious byproduct of having children in a room with you. The number one response from one set of parents to another is, "Oh.. well, when she has children it will all be different." The close second is assuredly, "I know I know, but he's old and you're not going to change him." They are probably right. Still, we who mystically represent the Cherubim do so together regardless of how well we stay on key or mark the words from memory while "adjusting" children to do so. The Lord not only asked the children to come unto Him, but also that we s...

Here is an official (as requested) inaugural address from this month's Melkite synod. His Beatitude talks about the need for more priests, pastoral care and "animation," the visit to Rome, the importance of the role of the Pope of Rome, the necessity for ecumenism, and worry over the violence in the Middle East.

Torn Notebook has an exceptionally good excerpt from a Archbishop Zoghby's (Memory eternal!) book A Voice from the Byzantine East . Below is the first few paragraph's from that post: The problem which probably causes more anguish to young married people than birth control is that of the innocent spouse in the prime of life (usually the young lady, so we shall use the feminine form throughout this chapter to denote the wronged spouse) who is deserted by her partner and contracts a new union. The innocent party goes to her parish priest or bishop for a solution but hears: “I can do nothing for you. Pray and resign yourself to living alone for the rest of your life because you cannot marry again and expect to remain in the good graces of the Church.” Such an unrealistic response is an insult to the young person’s inherent dignity! Furthermore, it presupposes an heroic virtue, a rare faith and an exceptional temperament. This almost abnormal way of life is not for everyone. After ...

New York, NY ( SCOBA ) - The Spring Session of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) met on June 12, 2008 from 10:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at the Headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. This session was attended by all Hierarchs of SCOBA: Archbishop Demetrios, Chairman (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese), Metropolitan Philip, Vice-Chairman (Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese), Metropolitan Christopher, Secretary (Serbian Orthodox Church), Metropolitan Nicholas (Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese), Metropolitan Herman (Orthodox Church in America), Metropolitan Joseph (Bulgarian Orthodox Church), Archbishop Nicolae (Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese), Archbishop Antony (proxy, Ukrainian Orthodox Church) and Bishop Ilia (Albanian Orthodox Diocese). In attendance as well were Metropolitan Maximos of Pittsburgh (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese), Metropolitan Methodios of Boston (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese), and Bishop Antoun of Miami (Antiochian Orthodo...